Consider the power of belonging. Adolescents will change their speech, dress, and behavior to “fit in” with their peer groups. Inner city teens will commit crimesincluding murderfor the privilege of wearing gang colors. Adults, too, gain much of their identity from the neighborhoods they live in, the churches they attend, the political parties they align with. Continue Reading

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Personal departments became Human Resources departments. Perhaps, it’s easier to think of the labor as a resource (commodity) and as something to be consumed and replenished. I’ve seen companies hire outside consultants to do their down sizing so they wouldn’t have to dispose of the “commodity”. Another company always made sure their biggest customer’s children had a summer job while home from college. Ever notice that the top management seems to come from elsewhere? A new broom sweeps clean and promoting from within makes it hard to make business decisions without bias toward buddies. Also, the finesse a new manager uses to institute changes may need a little deception to pull it off. When the “commodity” has been replaced and the “fixer” moves on with another page on his resume. Giving credit where it is due makes a team work better and builds the team. Taking credit for other’s ideas or work might get a promotion, but it will lead to no more new ideas and then how does one get a promotion. So, those exiles may not mind being on the outside. The days of a lifetime job at the same place (except government employees) are a thing of the past and the “commodity” knows it.